Intent

Bierton C of E Combined School aims to use the natural outdoor woodland area to offer the children an insight into the Forest School ethos. This approach to outdoor learning encourages children to become independent, use their imagination, take appropriate risks within boundaries and initiate learning for themselves. Forest School is a holistic approach to learning, incorporating children’s individuality and it develops their skills for lifelong learning. It can cover many areas of learning, including the emotional and spiritual aspects of learning, where self-esteem and self-confidence can grow and positive relationships with peers can be formed. Forest School explores the outdoors and the natural environment with practical, useful activities all year round. The children are encouraged to work as a team and work collaboratively on the various tasks set. It develops peer learning with the adults providing support and enabling activities to take place. The child’s interest will be at the heart of any activity. Forest School is an important platform for allowing children’s lights to shine outside of the classroom.

Implementation

We aim to give all children an insight into the ethos of Forest School.

Forest School builds on a child’s positive attitude to learning, offering them the opportunities to take risks, make choices and initiate learning for themselves. The Forest School learning environment provides opportunities for children to develop self-esteem, self-confidence, to form positive relationships with others, to develop a growing awareness of their emotional needs and the needs of others, to learn to cooperate and work with their peers and adults and to develop strategies in order to take risks within the boundaries of safety. Forest School is about exploring and experiencing the natural world through play. The child can access the forest at their own level, be it age-related to ability.  The recapping of previous skills and knowledge allows access for all.  The child-initiated approach gives a greater level of understanding and engagement.  The children are actively choosing appropriate equipment or tools that they need.

Impact

Children will grow in confidence as a result of the freedom, time and space they are given in their learning. This allows them to demonstrate independence at each individual child’s rate.

Children will begin to understand, assess and manage their own risk and safety. This will allow the children to become more independent and show them that life comes with not only risk but also rewards. It also teaches them what their own limits are and that they can push through them. They will see that sometimes we don’t always get the desired result the first time but that doesn’t make us a failure, it helps us to grow, forcing us to try again in a different way. Forest school encourages problem-solving, logical thinking and self-reflection and evaluation.

Activities such as sharing tools and participating in play, help teach the children to work together as a group, which strengthens their bonds and social skills. Children develop an interest in the great outdoors and respect for the natural world around them.  The changing seasons and weather offer a wealth of interest and opportunities.

 We measure the impact of our curriculum through the images and videos of the children’s practical learning and talking to the children about their learning during reflection (pupil voice).  These are included on the school website so parents and other adults can see the images.